One of Europe's grandest squares, leaning towers, a portico that climbs a hill for 666 arches, and the oldest university in the Western world.
The vast Gothic church that dominates Piazza Maggiore, begun in 1390 and never finished - its bare-brick facade is one of the great unfinished stories of Italian architecture. Inside, the longest meridian line in the world runs along the floor. Official site: Basilica di San Petronio.
Official site →Bologna's medieval skyline: the 97-meter Asinelli tower, which you can climb (498 steps), and its shorter, famously leaning neighbor Garisenda. The view from the top stretches from the Apennines to the Po. Official site: Due Torri - book your Asinelli climb.
Tip: Book your climb slot online; the stairs are steep and the reward is enormous.
Official site →The first permanent home of the University of Bologna (1563), now a library whose halls are covered with the coats of arms of thousands of students, crowned by the gory but fascinating Anatomical Theatre. Official site: Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio.
Official site →A covered walkway of 666 arches climbs nearly 4 km from Porta Saragozza to the hilltop sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, one of the longest porticoes on earth - part of the city's UNESCO-listed Porticoes of Bologna.
Tip: Climb it in the early morning before the heat - the reward is a panorama over the whole city.
Official site →Bologna's city museums - the Archaeological Museum with its Etruscan treasures, the medieval collections in Palazzo Ghisilardi-Fava, and the modern art of MAMbo - are spread through the center under one official portal: Bologna Musei.
Official site →Founded in 1088, the oldest university in the Western world still runs its faculties across the city center. Wander the historic seats, the porticoed courtyards and the via Zamboni student quarter, or visit the museum collections of the oldest alma mater. Official site: Università di Bologna.
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